Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Type | Private seminary |
|---|---|
| Established | 1863 |
Religious affiliation | Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod |
| Chairman | Rev. Jonathan Scharf |
| President | Rev. Earle Treptow |
| Provost | Rev. Thomas Kock |
Academic staff | 19[1] |
| Students | 186[2] |
| Location | , , United States |
| Colors | no official colors |
| Website | www.wisluthsem.org |
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Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS) is a post-secondary school that trains men to become pastors for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). It is located in Mequon, Wisconsin.
The campus consists of 22 buildings, including a library that has over 58,000 volumes and a collection of rare pre-18th century theological books.
Origins in Watertown
Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary has been located in several different places throughout its history.
The origins of the school date to 1863, when the main sources of clergy in the Wisconsin Synod were the mission societies in Germany. As the Wisconsin Synod moved to a more conservative and confessional theological stance, the theological character of clergy from the German mission societies came into question. Furthermore, it became more and more difficult to provide pastors in adequate numbers. To alleviate these problems the Wisconsin Synod formed the Theological School of the Wisconsin Synod in Watertown, Wisconsin. The first students met in the professor's home. In 1864, the Wisconsin Synod in convention resolved to provide a permanent building for the seminary. Five acres (20,000 m2) of Watertown land were purchased for $600.00. Ground was broken on July 22, 1864, on what is now the campus of Luther Preparatory School. The building was dedicated on September 14, 1865. The third floor of the building was used for the seminary classes, and the first two levels were used for the synod's college, Northwestern College.
Merger with Concordia Seminary
Because of small enrollments and an increasing desire to enter into fellowship with the Missouri Synod, the school merged with that synod's Concordia Seminary in 1870. As part of the merger, it was agreed that the Missouri Synod would actively participate in Northwestern College by providing a professor for the school and assisting the school with financial support. Wisconsin was to send students to St. Louis, provide a professor, and contribute financial support for Concordia. Each synod was to retain management of its own institution. Six Wisconsin Synod students began study in St. Louis in March 1870.
Reopening in Milwaukee
In 1878, the WELS reopened a seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to help prevent the assimilation of the entire synod into the Missouri Synod. Wisconsin Synod leaders stressed that doctrinal fellowship was possible with the Missouri Synod without organizational unity.[citation needed] Two small houses were rented at the corner of Hubbard Street and Garfield Avenue and served as the school's campus for two years. Prof. Eugen Notz also served as the pastor of St. Marcus Lutheran Church a block away.
The school quickly outgrew that limited capacity. The seminary board authorized the purchase of a small nearby park at 13th and Vine streets to serve as the new campus. The park pavilion was remodeled into classrooms and a residence for Prof. Notz. Classes there began in 1880.
Move to Wauwatosa
Because the increasing number of seminarians outgrew the 13th Street facility, a new seminary campus was opened in 1893 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, with 31 students. The facility was a two-story building with a full basement and a large attic. The first floor held two classrooms, a chapel, a faculty lounge, several study rooms, and a restroom in each of the two wings. The second floor mirrored the layout of the first floor, with a large hall in the center. This space was later occupied by the library. The basement contained a kitchen and dining area, a washroom, and a recreation room. Years later, the attic was finished and outfitted for additional student quarters.
Permanent campus in Mequon
As enrollment at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary continued to increase, synod and seminary administrators realized that a bigger facility would become necessary in the coming years. The synod purchased an 80-acre (320,000 m2) farm in present-day Mequon near the village of Thiensville for $25,000. Seminary professor John Philip Koehler was given charge of the general design, incorporating the style and features of the Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Germany.
Ground was broken for construction in 1928, and the cornerstone was laid that same year. The process of moving to the new campus began in the summer of 1929 and the first classes were held in the autumn semester of 1929.
